The Whiskey Hotline: Scouring the World for Limited Rarities & Exclusive Handpicked Spirits

Located about 20 miles north of Louisville, the Starlight Distillery is part of the 7-generation strong Huber Orchard and Winery, southern Indiana’s premier agritourism destination. Known for their wines and brandies made from fruit grown on site, the Huber family successfully lobbied the state government to allow farm distilleries to produce spirits from grain, leading to the industry changing Artisan Distiller’s Permit Law in 2013. Prior to this law, Indiana distilleries could not sell or serve on site direct to consumers. With over a decade of production under their belts, they’ve become one of our favorite Midwest whiskey producers, so they were a natural partner for a recent project. Several years ago, we handpicked several casks of Cognac Park Borderies cognac and sent some of the empty barrels to Starlight to use to finish their mature bourbon. After four years of standard aging in new American white oak casks, the bourbon was finished for at least 3 years in the cognac barrel. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 113.4 proof, we were impressed with the marriage of bourbon’s spicy sweetness and cognac’s extracted dried fruit and oak spice.

Since their founding in 1873, the Coors beverage company has had one defining belief: exceptional beverages are made with exceptional ingredients. 20 years ago, they started distilling whiskey with the same fundamental belief. Over the years, they’ve produced excellent bourbons and American whiskey, and their latest release is their first foray into a category that we have been in love with for years. American malt whiskey draws its inspiration from the malt whiskies of Scotland, but until January 2025, the rules for its production limited the scope of the category. Now, the rules are aligned with traditional malt whiskey production, and distilleries are releasing incredible versions that they’ve been quietly aging for years. Coors first foray into the category is not to be missed. Made from their exclusive Colorado malt, aged for at least 8 years and bottled at a robust 110.5 proof, it’s a perfect intro to the category and a great bottle for fans of excellent American whiskey.

Michter’s bourbon and ryes are the stuff of legend among whiskey enthusiasts. Well crafted and meticulously matured, their everyday items are home bar staples at the Whiskey Hotline. Often overlooked, their unblended American whiskey is a standout for us. Made with the same corn heavy mash bill as their bourbon, this unblended whiskey is labeled as such because it never uses neutral spirit and is matured in used barrels. Utilizing used wood leads to a softer profile that is perfect for your summer high balls and whiskey sours. Celebrate the Spirit of America today with this unique bottling. 

Hacienda Santa Teresa, a distillery crafting rum since 1796, is known for a unique aging system that blends three styles of mature rum before further aging them in a solera system. Over the last several years, they've focused on innovation with unique cask finishes. Their latest release is a true transatlantic drinking experience. After full maturation, they filled casks that were used to age some of Teeling’s finest Irish whiskeys. Elegant and rich, this is an excellent sipping rum.

For years, Chartreuse was a cocktail staple and a necessary ingredient in a plethora of cocktails. A few years ago, exports were vastly reduced and cocktail enthusiasts were at a loss. The Whiskey Hotline brought in several alternatives, many of them worked, but weren’t quite right and anyone looking for a Yellow Chartreuse alternative was often out of luck. When the French Distillerie du Centre started exporting La Gauloise, we grabbed as much as we could. Legend has it that La Gauloise was originally named when the ancient Romans referred to modern day France as ‘Gaul.’ The recipe was lost to time until in the late 1700’s when it was found in a grimoire. Now it's hit our shelves, and these are the excellent options for your favorite Chartreuse cocktail.

The legendary Four Roses distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky has a long and storied past. From humble beginnings in 1888, the brand survived Prohibition, only to spend decades as exclusive to Europe and Asia. After being purchased by Kirin in 2002, industry legend Jim Rutledge, who had been with Four Roses since the 1960’s, successfully lobbied for Four Roses bourbon's return to American shelves. Since then, they’ve been notable for their 10 recipes, playing with mash bills and yeast strains to create some of the most sought-after whiskies in the world. Their flagship ‘yellow label’ has been a long time favorite of the whiskey hotline, and it’s a bottle that we’ve always wanted at a higher proof. Our wishes were answered and we are excited to have Four Roses 100 proof on our shelves. Raising the proof to 100 takes the rich fruit and bright spice that we have always loved and dials it to 11. It’s a fantastic pour and is perfect neat or with a few cubes but really stands out in an old fashioned.

Last year, Buffalo Trace rocked the world of rye by releasing Sazerac 100 proof. Bigger and bolder than the standard bottling and in a liter bottle, it was the connoisseurs choice for cocktails and beyond. On our last visit to Buffalo Trace we jumped at the chance to pick our first barrels of this spicy delight. After tasting through several barrels, we settled on a few that stood out. Grab yours today, this is a limited item that will run out.

We’re always in search of new gin here at the Whiskey Hotline, especially if it includes curious botanicals and tells an interesting story. Born in Texas, Devil's Grin gin has truly global roots with 14 botanicals sourced from every continent except for Antarctica. It also respects where it came from, sourcing mesquite beans from a local ranch as one of the most unique botanicals in the gin. An excellent option for gin and tonics, this would also give a classic martini an interesting twist.

Bardstown’s Barton distillery has built a reputation on crafting layered and complex bourbons that punch way above their price point. Utilizing a high rye mash bill results in the perfect marriage of fruit, spice and barrel character. Their premium range, 1792, is named for the year Kentucky was admitted into the Union and their Full Proof expression has long been a Whiskey Hotline favorite. Rather than bottling at barrel proof, full proof is watered back down to Barton’s 125 proof entry point, retaining maximum flavor at a consistent proof. Last fall, we travelled to Bardstown and sampled dozens of barrels, picking 9 that we thought stood above the rest. Complex and spicy, these punchy barrel picks are not to be missed.

If you’re a bourbon fan, you already know Heaven Hill out of Bardstown is a gold standard. They’ve been cranking out killer whiskey for decades, and they have something for everyone, from budget-friendly Bottled-in-Bond bangers, to high-proof hazmat bottles that pack a serious punch, or ultra-rare unicorns to flex on your bar cart.
 

We just landed a handful of handpicked Heaven Hill single barrels. First is our latest set of Heaven Hill 7 year Bottled in Bond barrels. These are unbelievable values and perfect summer sippers at 100 proof. We also picked a cask of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Clocking in at 9-years- old, it’s full of dessert flavors and spice and is a perfect representation of everything we love about Elijah Craig. Due to extended aging on upper rickhouse floors, this barrel had an extremely low yield, if you miss out on this release, keep your eyes peeled for future picks.

As America’s first bottled bourbon, Old Forester has a long and storied history in the world of American Whiskey, surviving prohibition by obtaining one of 6 medicinal whiskey licenses and meeting the bourbon downturn of the 60’s and 70’s by bottling in still legendary to this day collectible decanters. Now known for their range of everyday bar essentials, the Whiskey Row series and some of the most highly sought after bourbons available, we are excited to offer our latest handpicked barrels from this legendary distillery. Bottled at barrel proof, these 9 barrels blew us away, representing the full range of flavor from Old Forester. These are extremely popular and will sell out quickly. Contact your local Binny’s for availability. Limit 1 per customer.

With America’s semiquincentennial fast approaching, so do the limited bottlings celebrating this momentous occasion. Known for their excellent Canadian sourced and farm distilled ryes, WhistlePig went in a completely different direction with this special release. Made from high wheat 100% US grown grain mash bill and matured for four years before finishing in wave stave barrels for an extra dose of toasted oak, this is truly a whiskey built for summer and a perfect tribute to America’s 250th birthday.

When warm weather finally hits Chicagoland, the Whiskey Hotline turns its attention to gin. We’re always on the hunt for unique bottles, and our latest find comes from the banks of Loch Lomond in the Scottish Highlands. Ben Lomond Gin is produced in the village of Luss at the fittingly named Luss Distillery. Named after the Gaelic word for herb or plant, Luss is the perfect birthplace for a spirit that evokes locally foraged botanicals. The result is a bright, clean gin packed with citrus and berry notes that is absolutely perfect for a classic gin and tonic.

Located on the outskirts of the south side Chicago suburb of Thornton lies the Thornton Distillery. The site they chose was the oldest standing brewery in Illinois, which had been in disrepair for decades. The brewery had a rich history before shuttering, including illicit production of beer during prohibition and falling under Al Capone’s control. Most importantly, their limestone filtered artesian well was still bubbling away, providing the perfect water for whiskey production. Opening in 2019, the distillery made their name with their Dead Drop line of spirits, but their goal was the production of fine American single malt that lean into the site and founder’s history in brewing. The first release is their Signature Malt, made with Brewer’s Pale, Munich, Roasted Brown and Special Dark malts and matured for 5 years in 1st fill bourbon, rye, rum and toasted American white oak casks. The second is made with Illinois peat smoked Pilsener malt and matured in 1st fill bourbon casks to preserve the rich smoke from the malt. They are both gorgeous malts and are an exciting preview of things to come.

After their successful television collaboration, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul took on the spirits world. With both of them being fans of agave spirits, they set out to create something truly artisanal and settled on Mezcal. Now with over 5 years of success, they’ve released a tequila custom made at NOM 1614, known for the Cazcanes and Pantalones brands.

The tequila making Bañuelos family dynasty began when Don Felix started the Cazadores distillery in the early 1970s with his son, Leon. After selling that distillery nearly 40 years later, they realized that tequila making was part of the family fabric and Leon Jr, convinced his father to partner in a new venture, planning and opening the El Mexicano distillery. Committed to preserving the flavors of the agave, El Mexicano uses time honored techniques from across the world of fermentation, distillation and maturation, including a long open fermentation, distillation in copper pot stills and putting their unique spin on maturation by aging in American and French oak. They've finally released their añejo, rich and layered and a supreme sipper, don’t miss out on this first bottling.